Joe Williams is a recovering engineer who is enjoying learning all the cool things he can do with a photograph, aspiring to create a scene that deserves some consideration. Inspirations include geometry and technology, Weston and Mapplethorpe, Penn and Newton, the real and the surreal, myth and reality. Using both digital and film cameras, his work spans portraits, nudes, still life, and landscapes. He has also photographed dozens of theatrical productions. He ought to have a website, but he has been too lazy up to this point.

Shoot at UMBRALUX

UMBRALUX means “shadow and light.” It’s where we work and what you will find in our studio located in downtown Frederick Maryland. Located at 112 East Patrick St. The studio offers an amazing wide-open 1,000 sq ft (93 sq m) main room and a 350 sq ft (32 sq m) smaller space with a bank of north-facing windows, distressed brick walls, and several white shooting walls. The smaller space also has an unusual white subway-tile wall and a distressed double door. The studio also features a plethora of strobes, continuous lights, and white, black, and gray seamless sweeps. Specifically, we offer several Photogenic 500 W strobes for complicated lighting set-ups, a plethora of softboxes to shape and manipulate the light, and numerous Mole-Richardson continuous tungsten lights (these will illuminate your shoot or look beautiful in your session as props) that were frequently used in vintage films, dating back to the 1930s and 40s. Dimmers for the continuous lights allow the photographer to dial-in exactly the amount of light needed. For a nominal fee you can avail yourself of a large number of colorful seamless background sweeps and a limited number of studio props. Additionally, there is a bathroom and a changing room for clients and model talent. We also offer to set up the lights prior to your session and also offer to assist you during your shoot, if you need it, for modest fees.

Domenic Cicala

Domenic is a devout follower of Nikon with a love for a good rangefinder. He has been shooting since 1993. He started as a collector and lover of the medium back in the analog days of film. That love of film still influences his work. "What I love most is photographing people." said Cicala. His main areas of work these days are mostly Music and Beauty Portraits, Fine Art Nudes, and the occasional still life or landscape. He is planning to release his first book in 2022 See more of his work at Torturedartistproductions.com

John Nelson

John considers every chance behind the camera an opportunity to tell a story. He was happy shooting digital and film in the 35mm format until he saw an 8x10 portrait created using the wet plate collodion process. Now shooting small, medium, and large format cameras, John spends his creative energy on making art portraits, fine art, still life, and figure work. He looks forward to creating interesting workshop opportunities for the community of photographers in the DMV. See more of his work at theactinicstudio.com